Festival 2008
The festival featured campus and regional artists who created installations and performances as a means to understand the impact of climate change and to imagine a sustainable future. Also featured was a farmer’s market and interactive exhibits coordinated by the Jonah Center for Earth and Art that highlighted energy conservation, sustainability and resilient communities. For over seven months, a 32 member planning committee of campus and community members worked to plan the Festival that was originally scheduled to be produced at Middletown’s landfill. The City of Middletown subsequently withdrew its permission due to safety concerns. The committee researched alternative locations and selected a neglected city park within walking distance of campus. There were more than 40 performances and visual art installations at the Festival, including two works commissioned for the Festival: Landfill, a photographic installation by Marion Belanger and Green Movement by Ann Carlson. Twenty environmental organizations and vendors participated, and over 100 volunteers worked at the event. Over 2,000 people attended.